Monday, January 31, 2011

Hundreds of thousands of protesters remain on the streets of Cairo, despite the curfew and the presence of the army. The military has in fact issued a statement supporting the aims of the protesters. President Mubarak shuffled around some members of the cabinet, and offered to meet with representatives of the opposition, but it looks to be too little, too late: tomorrow a million people will reportedly march on Cairo.

In other news, a federal judge has declared Obamacare unconstitutional. Meanwhile, in the latest Swedish opinion polls, public support for the Sweden Democrats has risen 1.7%, to 6.3%.

Thanks to Barry Rubin, C. Cantoni, Caroline Glick, CSP, Gaia, Insubria, JD, KGS, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.

Commenters are advised to leave their comments at this post (rather than with the news articles) so that they are more easily accessible.

Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. We check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration said Monday for the first time that it supports a role for groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood, a banned Islamist organization, in a reformed Egyptian government.

The organization must reject violence and recognize democratic goals if the U.S. is to be comfortable with it taking part in the government, the White House said. But by even setting conditions for the involvement of such “non-secular” groups, the administration took a surprise step in the midst of the crisis enveloping Egypt for the past week.

This is the first rub — and there are a lot of rubs in this deal.

Anyone who has studied the Muslim Brotherhood, or Islam in general, knows that a believer is not just permitted to lie, not just encouraged to lie, but required to lie if the action in question is required. It is mandatory for believers to work to establish the rule of sharia in any Muslim state. Therefore, when necessary, it is mandatory for believers to lie in order to achieve that end.

The Muslim Brotherhood will be more than happy to “reject violence”. No problem!

Dr. Andrew Bostom appeared earlier today on America’s Morning News Radio with John McCaslin and Amy Holmes. He was asked to supply some background on the Muslim Brotherhood, and did so with his customary expertise. He also had occasion to voice his emphatic disagreement with Ralph Peters about what is happening now in Egypt.

Many thanks to Vlad Tepes for YouTubing the audio track from the program, accompanied by some appropriate video footage:

Below is a Swedish-subtitled version of Pat Condell’s latest video (the original, with a transcript, is posted here). Because of the “Blogger bug”, the video is placed below the jump. There’s also a complete Swedish transcript.

Many thanks to the Kebbe for the translation, and to Vlad Tepes for the subtitling:

As my ancient forefathers, the Vikings, would have said: It is always good to fight. It is better to win.

My detractors — the foes of free speech and the enablers of an Islamic ascendancy in the West — will claim that I was acquitted on a technicality, namely that the judge in the Court of Frederiksberg resolved that my supposedly offensive comments on the violations against little Muslim girls were not intended for public dissemination.

That is absolutely true. The judge chose to the way out provided by my capable counsel.

However, the public prosecutor has been privy to the circumstances surrounding my case for a year — and yet he chose to prosecute me. Obviously in the hope that he could secure a conviction given the Islamophile sentiment among our ruling classes.

“We have constantly been told that this is an enrichment of the country. [They think] problems do not really exist. Problems only exist to the extent that people say there is a problem. So in other words, they want to silence critics because they think — or claim at least — that if they could shut up people like me, the problems would go away.”

As most readers know, Lars Hedegaard, the Chairman of the Danish Free Speech Society, was tried last week on “hate speech” charges for discussing the disproportionate incidence of family rape among Muslim immigrants in Denmark. The verdict came in today, and Mr. Hedegaard has been acquitted of all charges.

This is indeed an occasion for Counterjihad activists to pop the champagne corks. We should, however, retain a measure of our sobriety: this is a partial victory at best. The acquittal of Mr. Hedegaard was based on the fact that his words were not intended to be public, and were thus not covered by the law — the offense defined by the “racism” statute applies solely to public speech.

This law remains on the books in Denmark. Anyone who publicly repeats what Lars Hedegaard said, or says something similar in public, is likely to face the same charges, and may well be convicted and fined.

And this is in Denmark, mind you — a country we all associate with freedom of expression.

Below the jump is a video of an RT interview with Lars Hedegaard. It was released today, but recorded before the verdict was issued:

Below is the third installment of Takuan Seiyo’s latest series of essays. Previously: Part 1 and Part 2.

Note: In his second installment, Mr. Seiyo originally designated this as a three-part series. However, the project grew as he progressed, and there will be a fourth installment.

The Art of Strategic Citizenship Part 3 — Round stones rolled down a mountain

by Takuan Seiyo

In the 5th chapter of The Art of War, Sun Tzu and his interlocutor Du Mu say:

It is the nature of a stone to remain motionless on level ground, and to move when on a slope; thus the energy developed by good fighting men is as the momentum of a round stone rolled down a mountain thousands of feet in height.

First, you must wake up. The ground is no longer level. It’s a slope, and you are being swept down that slope like so much dead weight of fallen leaves in dark November twilight. The ruling elite is doing the sweeping, and various spiky strands of the broom stand out: the Muslim janissaries contracted by the nominally Judeo-Christian elite, the Mexican reconquistadores and the rest of the imported underclass, the Black racist demagogues and criminals, the red-diaper Jewish society improvers, the red-flag French intellectuals and their university franchises, the Social Christianity clerical comrades, the Hollywood useful idiots, the purposefully forgotten Chicom strategists, and so on. But none of this would have worked, had it not been for the slope.

The slope was built by your own people: white middle class evaders of “divisiveness,” nice people to boot. Hogs at credit troughs, consumers of Chicom cheap con, suit-wearing minders of this quarter’s profits, evangelicals with God bless decals, Bushites not Shiites, country club Republicans who thought the business of America is business, national demographics are a market, and the teaching vocation can be left to bitter Gramscian malcontents on a long march.

The slope is stacked against you. It’s about 9 to 1. The GOP is a useless diversion, the conservatives in clueless confusion, the Tea Party too pansy, the teachers Comintern saboteurs, the generals beribboned cowards trading truth for another star on the collar of he, she or heshe, the economists lapping milk from the saucers of the financialists, the government determined to immanentize the eschaton while China grabs the market for the cyclotron. Even if your side were hard stones, you would be rolling in the wrong direction.

Only the hard truth can turn into rolling stones. Comforting lies turn into a pile of dry autumn leaves. “Strength in Diversity” turns into peonage to homogeneous China and dhimmitude to tribal Dar-al-Islam. Jock worship and self esteem in schools end in generations of know-nothing spoiled morons. Paper fiat money becomes Ponzi confetti. “Conservatives” end as outplayed liberals. A smooth latte messiah turns into the broken cane of America the lame. Empire on credit heads for the trashcan of empires.

Other than a few bloggers and writers who toil in unpaid anonymity for 20,000 readers, the only people with significant public following who are able even to identify and express all those issues in cogent prose are clouded by mind afflictions of the sort discussed in Part 2. They are either conspiracy junkies or tenants at the junction of the Paleocon/ White Nat spectrum. They show a keen perception of the political facts and no perception of their own mind afflictions. Such people cannot lead others successfully out of the wilderness.

On the premise that the enemy of my enemy is my friend, the Paleocons are silent on Islam and jihad and agnostic about Holocaust and Hitler. “White Nats” simply deny the former and adore the latter. Patrick Buchanan, who can write masterfully about America’s suicide by immigration, by NAFTA or by surrender to its Black minority pillagers (e.g. “A Brief for Whitey”) is also an admirer of the Nazi tool Charles Lindbergh, a defender of accused Nazi criminals, and a World War II revisionist more on Hitler’s side than on Churchill’s [1]. Paul Craig Roberts, who can write superbly about America’s hollowed-out economy and the madness of Empire (e.g. “Spinning Unemployment in a Collapsing Empire”) can’t put two paragraphs together before launching into a tirade about the evils of Israel and its American lobby.

Some conspiracy hounds also present useful facts and good ideas, but wrapped in questionable theories. Not much is gained by the 9/11 truthers’ unprovable assertion that the U.S. government had pre-wired the towers with explosives. I doubt that it did, but it had prewired the Unites States for 9/11 anyway. It did so through its insane immigration and border policies, refusal to recognize the hostile nature of Islam, demented Affirmative Action that places Muslims and racially favored incompetents in the center of the intelligence and defense establishments, and other PC inanities like the “wall” between the FBI and the CIA.

We will not go here to the left side of the anomie, i.e. the quixotic intellectuals, the for-profit prole noisemakers, the failures seeking revenge on society, the mass media nitwits and agent provocateurs, the demagogues egging on minorities from the lands of soulful indolence or dusty terror. It’s not important anymore to understand why they believe and do what they do. The essential fact is that there are now two irreconcilable peoples in America: the Equality People and the Freedom People.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Despite the curfew and the presence of battle tanks on the streets of Cairo, the protests in Egypt continue. The military raised the stakes by buzzing the center of the city with F-15s, and a military helicopter was observed circling Tahrir Square. Hosni Mubarak is still hanging on, although Mohammed El Baradei insists that today must be the president’s last day in office. Families of foreign diplomats are being evacuated, and many foreign businessmen have left the country.

In other news, China’s real estate market continues to overheat. Demand for real property is so high that prices are going through the roof. Economists warn that the country may be in the midst of a giant real estate bubble, which is bound to pop sooner or later.

Thanks to 4symbols, C. Cantoni, CSP, DF, Feli, Gaia, Insubria, JD, Steen, Vlad Tepes, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.

Commenters are advised to leave their comments at this post (rather than with the news articles) so that they are more easily accessible.

Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. We check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.

You don’t need a crystal ball to tell you that this is going to be trouble: an old white guy tried to blow up a mosque in Dearborn. Gantdaily.com has this report:

A 63-year-old Vietnam veteran has been charged with threatening to blow up one of America’s largest mosques.

Roger Stockham, of Imperial Beach, CA, was arrested Jan. 24 in the parking lot of the Islamic Center of America. Police found a large quantify of class-C fireworks, including M-80s, in the trunk of his car.

Wait a minute — this is a 170,000 square foot mosque. It would take a lot more than a trunkload of M-80s to blow up a building of that size.

But we’ll put that quibble aside for a minute and continue with the article:

He has been charged with one count of a false report or threat of terrorism and one count of explosives-possession of bombs with unlawful intent.

If convicted, Stockham could face 15 years in prison on the fireworks charge and up to 20 years on the terrorism charge.

On January 29 an Egyptian Freedom Support Rally was held in Toronto to show solidarity with the protesters on the streets of Cairo. Not surprisingly, the event was massively infiltrated by an unholy alliance of the far Left and Islamic extremists. Also not surprisingly, the major Canadian media failed to report on this aspect of the rally.

Blazing Cat Fur has posted a report on what happened, and has also made up for the gross negligence of MSM by creating his own YouTube report based on photos and video from the event:

The paradigmatic problem is the rift between the BNP and other groups in Britain, including the English Defence League. Imnokuffar, one of the commenters on the second thread, voiced a sentiment that seems common among BNP supporters: they feel the BNP has been treated so badly in the past that they want nothing to do with any other organizations:

Theory is great but it must inform action. The problem is that those constructing the tent will define who enters it and for what reasons they are allowed to enter.

So for instance my party the BNP would never enter the tent if it were to be merely “tolerated”. We wound find such toleration to be insulting and demeaning to our members. I think that other groups labeled as “far right” would hold the same opinion though of course I cannot speak for them.

I am not going to enter a tent full of people who have already branded me a racist, a bigot and a fascist but who have decided to hold thier noses in the name of the common good. [emphasis added]

Bewick, whose comment was the original seed for the post, spoke up for the contrary point of view:

Saturday, January 29, 2011

The riots in Egypt are continuing apace. More than a hundred people have now been killed. President Hosni Mubarak has appointed two military officers as his prime minister and vice president. The Cairo Museum was looted, and the mob beheaded two of the infidel mummies. Police have disappeared from the streets, and ordinary citizens have formed vigilante groups to protect their property and their women.

In other news, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany warned the countries of the European Union that debt is their biggest enemy. She said that if the euro falls, Europe will fall.

Thanks to Barry Rubin, C. Cantoni, DF, Fjordman, Gaia, Insubria, JD, Swenglish Rantings, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.

Commenters are advised to leave their comments at this post (rather than with the news articles) so that they are more easily accessible.

Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. We check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.

Below is a Hungarian-subtitled version of Pat Condell’s latest video (the original, with a transcript, is posted here). Once again, to avoid the “Blogger bug”, I’ve placed the video below the jump, followed by the complete Hungarian transcript.

So I was standing in the hall the other day minding my own business when all of a sudden my knee just gave out and I went hurtling to the floor. Well, okay, I more or less slumped but at the moment of impact I felt like a thrown object. As I lay there, probably in mild shock, what flashed through my mind was the Zippy cartoon strip in which he is found as a stow-away on a big ocean liner. The captain angrily has ol’ Zip tossed into a small rowboat in the middle of the ocean. His reaction, quintessential Zippy, is to look back at the ship rapidly disappearing over the horizon and declare, “first I was in a big boat, now I’m in a little boat”. So I looked at the rug, whose pattern I could now observe quite minutely and said to myself, “first I was standing up, now I’m lying down”.

I lay there for a while studying the rug and considering my options (made a mental note to clean the rug if ever I were vertical again). Obviously, the Baron was upstairs and wouldn’t hear me if I yelled; anyway, even when I’m mad I’m not a good yeller. So my choices were to either wait until he wandered by or…to attempt to get up and see if any body parts rebelled more than usual. [The last time I was in the hospital (a few years ago now), the physical therapist showed me how to sit down and the floor easily and how to rise again. Because of fibromyalgia I had to re-learn something I’d taken for granted when I was a “normie”.]

After poking about a bit and not discovering any pain I did those p.t. moves and was up on my feet, seemingly none the worse for the fall. My ‘trick’ knee, acquired a few years ago whilst caught between a ladder and a fig tree, had simply buckled without warning. Even though the shredded meniscus was promptly removed, that knee has never done anything like that before. However, as my son observed, once one gets older seems like most injuries are the result of earlier injuries. Hmmm…so the slings and arrows simply repeat themselves?

For the next several hours I was fine. Good thing, too, since it was a snowy night and the roads weren’t so great.

Good News: The doctor’s concerns were unfounded. The complicated tests we went into the hospital for turned up negative — Dymphna is fine. She’ll be around later on to tell you the story of her latest adventures in modern medicine.

Y’all can resume arguing now.

I’ve just found out that I have to take Dymphna to the hospital. I don’t know how long we’ll be gone.

No one will be able to monitor the comments here for the duration. Due to the contentious nature of certain recent discussions, I am disabling all comments until I return.

This is only temporary. Normal operations will resume as soon as I sit down at the keyboard again.

Below is a Danish-subtitled version of Pat Condell’s latest video (the original, with a transcript, is posted here). To thwart the “Blogger bug” I put the video below the jump, along with the complete Danish transcript.

Many thanks to the Counterjihad Collective for the translation, and to Vlad Tepes for the subtitling:

Friday, January 28, 2011

Needless to say, the news tonight is dominated by the popular insurrection in Egypt. More than thirty items on the topic are included in the feed — browse the headlines to cover all the angles.

The army has been called in, and has reportedly been welcomed by the demonstrators. Rioters stormed the headquarters of the state TV broadcaster. Internet and cell phone service have been cut off, and land-line connections are said to be chancy.

President Hosni Mubarak has dismissed the cabinet and plans to form a new government. He seems not to understand Rule #1 of Arab despotism: the strongman has all the power, so the strongman gets all the blame. The mob will not be placated by the appointment of a new prime minister: Mubarak must go.

The disturbances have spread to Yemen, Algeria, and Jordan, and there are rumblings in Saudi Arabia. Bizarrely enough, Albania is also erupting in civil unrest. Syria, Morocco, and Libya seem to be immune — for the moment.

Thanks to 4symbols, C. Cantoni, Caroline Glick, DF, Fjordman, Gaia, Insubria, JD, KGS, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.

Commenters are advised to leave their comments at this post (rather than with the news articles) so that they are more easily accessible.

Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. We check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.

Public opponents of Islamism are appearing in many European Countries. Wilders , ESW, Marine Le Pen, Tommy Robinson, the German banker [Thilo Sarrazin], Lars Hedegaard, Susanne Winter. That covers just six of the countries of the EU.

Below the parapet I would guess that there are many more who are simply too scared to say what they think.

So far every grouping is following its own agenda. They will, apart from this one issue, differ on many fronts.

Attempts have been made to form a single group, but so far with little success.

As the unions so often say: “United we stand, divided we fall.” It is high time that a temporary political grouping on the single issue of Islamisation is formed to defeat this cancer. All groups can return to their own wider agendas once the main danger has been dealt with — that is with the restoration of the right to free speech and the danger of Islam with which we are all threatened. Wilders looks to have started something, but so did the EDL, whose stance has now been copied in some countries.

This will be the first in a series of loosely-linked posts leading up to a general discussion about the nature of our movement, and an examination of possible ways to improve our effectiveness.

In the video below, the well-known conservative British commentator Douglas Murray speaks from the podium during a panel discussion about Sharia. One of his fellow panelists is Maryam Namazie, the Iranian communist and spokeswoman for “One Law For All”, which considers the English Defence League a dangerously “racist” organization.

Mr. Murray, in a refreshing change of pace, actually defends the EDL as a force for good in the resistance to Islamization. You’ll notice, however, that he still holds EDL members to a far more rigorous standard than any other organization on his side of the fence. Even the communists do not have to demonstrate their lack of racism or anti-Semitism to the extent required of the EDL. No socialist or anarchist would ever have to expect the rigorous background check that has become de rigueur for any member of the English Defence League who becomes prominent in the media.

Even so, this is a step forward on Mr. Murray’s part. Pay attention to his main point: the necessity for overlooking extraneous doctrinal differences in the interests of pursuing — dare I say it? — a common purpose:

Below is a German-subtitled version of Pat Condell’s latest video (the original, with a transcript, is posted here. To avoid the “Blogger bug”, I’ve placed the video below the jump, followed by the complete German transcript.

Many thanks to the Counterjihad Collective for the translation, and to Vlad Tepes for the subtitling:

reported a few days ago, the new charge against Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff added by the judge has made it necessary to re-activate Elisabeth’s Voice, the fund-raising initiative that will help Elisabeth meet her legal fees.

Now Geert Wilders has come out in support of Elisabeth’s Voice.

Elisabeth received this email from Mr. Wilders earlier today:

The Austrian anti-jihad activist Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff is currently on trial in Vienna for speaking the truth about Islam. Her case is much like mine and that of all the other people in Europe who are being charged, tried, convicted, and silenced for daring to speak out against Islam.

Elisabeth is a courageous woman whose staunch defence of liberty, freedom of expression and the search for truth are an inspiration for us all. She is a beacon of light, not only for Austria but the entire West.

I fully support Elisabeth in her resistance to the oppression that has been forced upon her. And I especially support her in her defence against a charge brought by the Vienna court in an attempt to silence her.

It is important to defend those who are being prosecuted by the state for their convictions. We need to exercise our own right of speech on their behalf. If we do not speak out today for people like Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff, we will all be silenced.

Anyone who wants to contribute may visit Elisabeth’s Voice and make a donation using PayPal. Or, if you prefer, you may send a bank transfer using the following information for international payments:

Islamic violence against women and girls is an ugly reality in Europe. And for anyone to use the law to try and suppress discussion of it is not enlightened or tolerant or liberal, it’s shameful and stupid and cowardly and unforgivable. It’s cultural pollution at a criminal level. And if you live in Europe, your grandchildren will pay the price. And they’ll despise you, and everyone else alive today, for letting it happen.

Below the jump is Pat Condell’s latest video, in which he discusses Lars Hedegaard, the suppression of free speech in Europe, and other related matters. It’s followed by a complete transcript, courtesy of Henrik Ræder Clausen:

Anjem Choudary is the best friend the Counterjihad ever had. Whenever he opens his mouth, he does a service to our cause — you know exactly where he stands, which is with his foot planted firmly upon the neck of the filthy infidel. I always want to urge him to get back in front of the microphone — “Come on, Anjem! Tell us some more!”

He’s the best recruiting tool the EDL could ever hope for.

Australia has its own version of Mr. Choudary in the person of Ibrahim Siddiq-Conlon, who wants to replace Australia’s democracy with sharia, using violence if necessary. We can only hope that similar fellows will pop up all over the Western world so that our clueless citizens might finally gain an inkling of what the real Islam is all about.

The really dangerous Muslims in the West, however, are the silver-tongues: suave, well-dressed, well-educated fellows who speak flawless English, French, or German. Men like Imam Faisal Abdul Rauf, who are adept at delivering the honeyed bromides that gullible Westerners are eager to hear. These pillars of society are the chosen spokesmen for the “Muslim community” on television and in the press. Their soothing doubletalk supplies the anesthetic required to make Islamization a relatively painless process, so that no one wakes up screaming on the operating table before the most important political and cultural organs have been fully subverted.

The “Swiss philosopher” Tariq Ramadan is the most dangerous of them all. No one is more skilled at telling Europeans what they want to hear. He knows exactly how to push all the right buttons in the elite European psyche. Tolerance, guilt, racism, sexism, self-satisfaction, complacency — every vulnerable trait is expertly manipulated by the Alpine heir to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Mr. Ramadan recently gave an interview to Deutsche Welle. To say that the interviewer threw him softballs for questions is an injustice — halal cream puffs would be a better description.

First, the treacly intro from Deutsche Welle — notice the absolutely unequivocal statement about a “tide of Islamophobia sweeping Europe”. No “alleged”, no “some observers believe”, no need to verify any empirical facts — if Baroness Warsi said it, it must be true:

One of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential thinkers of the 21st century, Tariq Ramadan says Islam in Europe needs to be redefined. With Islamophobia passing the dinner-table test, his message is more urgent than ever.

According to a recent study carried out at the University of Leipzig, more than a third of Germans believe Germany would be better off without Islam. Last week Europe’s foremost Muslim thinker, Tariq Ramadan, spoke to a captive audience in Berlin about the tide of Islamophobia sweeping Europe and his own vision of a “shared pluralism.” A professor of Islamic Studies at Oxford University, Ramadan is also president of the European Muslim Network. He is a polarizing figure, seen by some as the “Muslim Martin Luther” and by others as a master of doublespeak. He spoke to Deutsche Welle about western perceptions of Islam today and the need for Muslims to become full partners in democratic societies.

Below are some excerpts from the DW interview, with my interpolated commentary:

In your book “What I Believe,” you say that the debate about integration borders on the obsessive and that what we need now is a ‘post-integration’ approach based on contribution.

We need to stop referring to integration. By ‘post-integration,’ I mean that we need to come to an understanding that the success of integration is to stop talking about it. If we keep on repeating year after year, generation after generation, that ‘they’ need to integrate, we imply that there is a host country, and they are its immigrants.

What Mr. Ramadan is attempting here is to expand the definition of “Islamophobia” to include any discussion of integration. Those who keep talking about integration then become Islamophobes by definition. Since Islamophobia has already been successfully identified as a form of racism, discussing integration is also racism, and may thus be prosecuted.

Criticizing Islam is already forbidden by law, as Geert Wilders and Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff have discovered. If Tariq Ramadan has his way, referring to the lack of integration among Muslim immigrants will become just as punishable.

Besides, immigration is over. It’s a done deal — Europe is Muslim. The matter is as settled as climate-change science:

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Violent unrest continues in several Egyptian cities. A police station was attacked by an RPG, and two more people have been killed. Mohammed El Baradei has returned to the country and says he is ready to lead a new government.

Unrest has spread to Yemen, where huge crowds have filled the streets demanding the overthrow of longtime President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

In other news, left-wing extremists claimed responsibility for a small explosion that occurred in a hotel a short distance from the World Economic Forum in Davos. No injuries were reported.

Thanks to 4symbols, A. Millar, C. Cantoni, Caroline Glick, DF, Fjordman, Gaia, Insubria, JD, KGS, TV, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.

Commenters are advised to leave their comments at this post (rather than with the news articles) so that they are more easily accessible.

Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. We check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.

I was just informed by a mate in the UK that one of the leaders of the English Defence League (EDL) was shot at by a Muslim in full jihad mode.

“It is with regret that I have to give you this expected news, but tonight we have seen the religion of peace in their full glory. One of the EDL leaders Kevin Carrol has been targeted by Muslim gangs in Luton and has been shot at several times. Details are a little sketchy as armed police have the area contained at present. Kev and his family are safe I can confirm that much. More info to follow.”

Sergio Redegalli, the Australian artist who found himself under siege due to the “Say No To Burqas” mural he painted on the wall outside his studio (see the most recent report here) has issued a statement. His message was published as a paid advertisement in The Inner City Weekender, January 28, 2011 (it’s tomorrow already in eastern Australia):

Statement From Sergio Redegalli

Newtown has always been a safe haven for the unique varieties of people in Sydney. Newtown has always been, and hopefully will remain, a rich source of creative people. Newtown has for a very long time been an interesting mix of Australians coming from many different backgrounds, education and countries.

Newtown in the last 30 years has been on the leading edge for the creative arts, with many successful artists not just working in the area but committing to making Newtown their home.

This page is a step in clearing up some untruths spread about the ‘Say No To Burqas’ mural (‘the mural’) by a very small number of people.

The ‘Say No To Burqas’ mural was painted to create dialogue and to hopefully encourage people to be better informed about some very important issues currently facing Australia today.

As Australian Citizens we all have a duty to stand up and express ourselves on issues that are important to discuss and to do this always in a sensible and peaceful manner. We all have the right to express ourselves non-violently both verbally and creatively, via any form of media format without having to be fearful of physical abuse or vandalism to property.

There have been too many untruths made by people and groups who take very much care in not putting their names (as individuals as well as groups as a whole) to their beliefs.

Firstly, the ‘Say No To Burqas’ mural has always and only been a starting point for debate and discussion, aside from graffiti and vandalism, it has never had the wording painted saying anything other than ‘Say No To Burqas’.

Point of fact, Islam is a Religious Ideology with its followers coming from many races all over the world and it is impossible to be racist towards a Religious Ideology.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Riots and unrest continue in Egypt. Despite a government ban on all demonstrations, protesters took to the streets in Cairo and Suez today. Government offices were set on fire, and least two people were killed, one of them a policeman.

In other news, Russian terrorism experts believe that a team of two suicide bombers caused the explosion in Domodedovo Airport on Monday. One of the two was a woman, possibly a “Black Widow” terrorist from Chechnya. A team of three accomplices is believed to have observed the attack from a distance, and is still being sought.

Meanwhile, a grenade was thrown into an apartment in the southern Swedish city of Malmö. Although two people were in the apartment when the grenade exploded, it caused no injuries. The police have not yet determined a motive for the attack, and are still searching for suspects.

Thanks to A. Millar, C. Cantoni, DF, Erick Stakelbeck, Fjordman, Gaia, Insubria, JD, KGS, Kitman, Srdja Trifkovic, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.

Commenters are advised to leave their comments at this post (rather than with the news articles) so that they are more easily accessible.

Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. We check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.

Nicolai Sennels’ latest essay concerns the looming agricultural crisis and the rise of world food prices. It was originally published at the New English Review, and is reposted here with the author’s permission.

Food Crises are Caused by Overpopulationby Nicolai Sennels

Food crises are becoming larger and more frequent. Every time they strike, they result in deadly conflicts and famines around the Equator, and declining real wages everywhere, due to rising food prices. The main reason for the increasing number and severity of food crises is basically that we have become more people than Mother Earth can feed.

There is broad consensus among experts that overpopulation is the direct cause of poverty, hunger and thirst and conflicts for space, food and grazing areas in developing countries. There is also broad consensus that these things are catalysts for religious fanaticism and large streams of refugees moving into the West.

Today we are 6.9 billion people on earth, and we are approaching 10. We are about to empty the planet’s storage of raw materials, and in many places the areas for cultivation are getting too small and the reserves of clean water are disappearing. At the same time it is a fact, that man is the world’s biggest polluter. A decline of the earth’s population - or at least a halt in its growth - is therefore good for both climate and environment. A bad climate and environment has a negative effect on food production, because drought, floods and pollution destroys harvests and cultivation areas.

Here is my suggestion for a lasting solution: Pay poor people in the poor countries to have less children. In this way they do not have to have a lot of children in order to secure themselves when they get old - and they can afford to feed and educate the few children they have. We should support the families with full aid (e.g. 2 dollars pr. day) if they have no or one child, half aid if they have two children and no support if they have more than two children. An educated and well nourished population is the indispensable basis for functioning democracies and economies. In addition, it will stimulate the poor countries economy in a much healthier way than just sending food that is putting pressure on the prices and is just eaten up my ever more hungry mouths.

I’ve just finished reading Pain, Pleasure and Prejudice by the Canadian scholar Bernard Payeur, and the book is exactly what it’s touted to be: “everything you’ve always known about the Koran, and more, explained in a way we can all understand”.

Dr. Payeur’s original field is not Islamic studies, so he approaches his task as an intelligent outsider. The result is a thorough and comprehensive view of what the Koran actually says, organized in several different ways to provide insights into what it all means. In addition to the Koran itself, the author has read the hadith and various commentary by Muslim theologians, so the book reflects the established Islamic institutional understanding of what Islam’s holy book means.

Before examining the contents of Dr. Payeur’s work any further, I feel compelled to warn potential readers that the book is riddled with typos. It’s a pity that a copy editor wasn’t engaged to undertake a final edit before the text went to press, because there are typographical errors on virtually every page — interpolated or missing letters, homonyms used by mistake, errors in punctuation, or simple typing mistakes. In most cases the reader can easily determine the intended text, but one should be particularly careful using the cited quotes from scripture — they were evidently transcribed by hand, and there are numerous embedded typographical errors.

Leaving aside the typos, this book is an essential resource. Dr. Payeur tackles his topic with a light, ironic, and slightly whimsical attitude, which makes the passages between the scriptural quotes entertaining as well as informative. And the scriptural quotes form the main focus of the book — the author packs its five hundred pages with as many ayats as he can manage while still allowing room for interpretive explanation.

What is noticeable in all this Koranic verbiage is the book’s overwhelming preoccupation with and emphasis on the horrific punishments that will be inflicted on sinners and non-believers in the afterlife. The Koran does occasionally describe the paradise that awaits the faithful Muslim, but such verses are fairly general and nebulous in tone — the lucky believer gets to lie around on couches in the shade, have sex with magically refreshed virgins, eat tasty fruit, and drink special wine. And he is granted the special pleasure of observing the infidels roasting in hell’s eternal barbecue. But that’s about it.

In contrast, hundreds of verses are devoted to describing in passionate detail the suffering of the damned. They are to be roasted over fires whose fuel consists of other unbelievers. They are to be torn apart, gutted, and otherwise tortured. Special punishments are listed for Christians and Jews who refuse to acknowledge the supremacy of Allah. Women in particular are described as over-represented among the sufferers in hell.

The rest of the Koran is a bizarre hodge-podge of generalities and incomprehensibilities mixed with elaborately detailed prescriptions for certain legal or ritual practices. As an example, here is a portion — just a partial selection, mind you — of Allah’s pronouncements on the matter of divorce, as described by Dr. Payeur (pp. 153-156):

As mentioned earlier, a man may also marry a woman who is married to another man as long as that other man’s wife is your slave: “Or married women except those your right hands possess ... (4:24). If a man is unhappy with any of his matrimonial choices, getting out of a marriage agreement under Koranic law is probably easier than any other type of contractual arrangements. A marriage contract, unlike other contractual arrangements, is a one-sided affair, which can be terminated at the discretion of the male signatory. The soon-to-be-divorced wife cannot object to the unilateral breaking of the marriage contract by her husband.

Making things even less complicated, for the husband that is, he doesn’t need a reason to divorce any of his wives or obtain anyone’s permission to do so. He simply has to tell her “I divorce you” and wait until his soon-to-be-divorced wife has experienced three menstrual cycles and it’s over. For a woman it is a little more complicated. She can, however, simplify the whole process and remain in Allah’s good books if she agrees to pay her husband a ransom which usually involves returning much of what he has ever given her to gain her freedom.

2:229 Divorce may be pronounced twice. Then they (women) are to be retained in a rightful manner or released with kindness. And it is unlawful for you [men] to take back anything of what you have given them unless both parties fear that they cannot comply with Allah’s Bounds (by obeying His commands). If you fear that they cannot do that, then it is no offence if the woman ransoms herself [pays money to be set free]. Those are the bounds set by Allah. Do not transgress them. Those who transgress the bounds set by Allah are the wrongdoers.

“Divorce may be pronounced twice” in the preceding verse means that the husband can divorce his wife three times. If he divorces her a third time he can never take her back. A divorced woman is expected to leave the family home after experiencing her third menstrual cycle after being informed by her husband that they are no longer husband and wife. Her former husband can allow her to stay longer if he wishes, as long as it is not for ulterior motives, for example to obtain larger ransom.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

The unrest in Tunisia seems to have spread to Egypt. Opposition groups staged a major demonstration in Cairo, with possibly more than a hundred thousand participants on the streets. The Muslim Brotherhood reportedly fielded a large number of agitators who helped spark violence against police and businesses. Hosni Mubarak’s son and likely successor is said to have fled to London with his family.

Unrelated unrest is also underway in Lebanon, in response to the attempt by Hezbollah to gain control in advance of an expected decision by the UN tribunal to indict some of its leaders for the murder of Rafik Hariri.

In other news, Mervyn King, the chief of the Bank of England, warns that Britons’ standard of living will drop drastically this year, more than it has since the 1920s.

Thanks to Barry Rubin, C. Cantoni, DF, Fjordman, Freyja’s Cats, Gaia, Insubria, JD, KGS, Srdja Trifkovic, TV, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.

Commenters are advised to leave their comments at this post (rather than with the news articles) so that they are more easily accessible.

Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. We check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.

The advantages outweigh the taboos: For their dream of a German passport, many Kosovo Albanians are divorcing their wives — if only temporarily — to marry a foreigner.

For the fourth time, the Robert Bosch Foundation this year has invited young journalists from the Balkans to enter a reporting-and-research competition (“Balkan Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence”). The Süddeutsche Newspaper is the media partner for the competition,which is also being carried by the Austrian ERSTE Foundation. sueddeutsche.de is publishing the three winning texts.

Before going to sleep, Valbona (35) from Peja in the west of Kosovo looks at her marriage photo, taken 13 years ago. She sees her smiling husband next to her.

Today there remains only the memory of that moment. Two years ago, her husband married a German woman. Valbona, mother of their four children ages four to twelve, not only knew of this intention, she approved it.

You see, in the eyes of her family and the people of her immediate surroundings, Valbona is not really divorced. Many Kosovo Albanians divorce their first wives, in a mutual agreement, and go to Western Europe to find a new partner who will make it possible for him to get a residence permit.

They leave their children behind in Kosovo, so they can pretend to be single and get married quickly. As soon as they have a permanent permit to stay in Germany or some other EU country, they divorce their second wife, return to the first one and bring the whole family into the West.

Germany is a favorite goal for Kosovars seeking foreign women and ultimately an EU pass, since there is already a large population their with Albanian roots.

The women who marry these Kosovo Albanians believe they have found the ideal, attentive husband. Often, however, as soon as they have a permanent residence permit after five years of marriage to a German citizen, they demand a divorce.

Valbona is confident that her husband will do the same: leave his new wife after three more years and come back to Kosovo to take her and the children to a new life in the rich West.

“The divorce was difficult, but it was easier, since we both know what our goal is,” said Valbona, who — in her husband’s absence — has moved into a house next to his brother.

Vacation with the old family

Without the German wife knowing about it, Valbona has already spent a summer vacation with her ex-husband in Kosovo. Benefits outweigh taboos.

Lars Hedegaard is a Danish journalist and historian who is well-known to regular readers of this blog. He went on trial yesterday in Denmark for his “racist” statements about the high incidence of family rape among Muslims in Denmark. The Danish law under which he was charged makes it clear that the truth is no defense, just as was the case for Geert Wilders in the Netherlands and Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff in Austria.

We are now in the depths of the Winter of Hate-Speech Trials in Europe.

Below is Lars Hedegaard’s own translation of the statement he gave yesterday to the court in Frederiksberg.

Awaiting the verdict

Lars Hedegaard’s final words in the Court of Frederiksberg, January 24, 2011

My counsel has instructed me that in cases brought under Article 266b, the only thing that determines whether one is convicted or not is a matter of the perceived insult whereas one is barred from proving the truth of the statement.

The article deals with public statements whereby a group of people are “threatened, insulted or degraded”. But as my lawyer has already noted, I have made no public statement.

When it comes to Article 266b, there is no equality before the law. I am daily insulted and degraded by something I read or hear and I am sure that most people have the same experience.

For example, I am not only insulted and degraded and threatened, but shaken to the core of my being when I hear a well known Danish imam state that, of course, sharia law — Muslim law — will be instituted as Denmark’s official legal regime when there are a sufficient number of Muslims. I strongly urge our country’s jurists to get acquainted with the implications of the sharia, not only for Muslims but equally for non-Muslims, who — if they are lucky — will be reduced to a life as subhuman outlaws. And if one cannot be bothered with tedious dissertations, one may take a look at the legal order pertaining in areas where the sharia holds sway either de jure or de facto. One will then encounter a legal order the like of which we have not known since the passing of the Law of Jutland in 1241 and probably not before.

But the imam wants this disorder introduced in the country where I was born. And I must admit that I am troubled. I am also troubled when said imam defends the killing of Muslims who have left Islam and when he confirms that women and men guilty of fornication must be pelt with stones until they are dead. He thinks that is God’s commandment, which he cannot ignore.

Should I go to the police and tell them how threatened, insulted and degraded I feel? I wouldn’t dream of it for I support free speech. And if free speech has any real meaning, it must also — and in particular — protect statements people do not want to hear. Regardless of how revolting such statements may be.

Besides it would be futile to report the imam and those similarly disposed to the police for the public prosecutor would never indict them. Otherwise it would have happened long ago.

As jurisprudence shows, not only in Denmark but in all European countries with similar insult articles in their penal code, these insult articles open the gates to inequality before the law. There are insulted who enjoy the tender graces of the public prosecutor, and there are the less favoured who must endure insults directed at them.

But perhaps this is to do with the notion that one must not insult minorities whereas minorities are free to insult majorities? If that is the explanation of why I am in court today, it is a peculiar one. In 2002, the imam I have already mentioned explained to his flock that all Muslims in the world — 1.6 billion or whatever the number is — constitute one people, one umma. The same thing is emphasised by the Islamic Conference Organisation, OIC, encompassing 57 member countries. In other words, the five million non-Muslim Danes are a microscopic minority but nevertheless a minority whose members stand to be punished if they make statements on cultural norms in the umma.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Two leaders of the “Green Wave” in Iran — the mass protests against the Iranian regime and its bogus elections back in 2009 — have been hanged, despite the entreaties of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

In other news, more than 20% of Italian young people between the ages of 15 and 29 neither have jobs nor attend school or job training. Meanwhile, in the English city of Birmingham, white schoolchildren will be in the minority for the first time this year, due to the dramatic growth of the immigrant population.

Thanks to Anne-Kit, C. Cantoni, CSP, Cyrus, DF, Erick Stakelbeck, Fjordman, Gaia, Insubria, JD, KGS, Nilk, TV, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.

Commenters are advised to leave their comments at this post (rather than with the news articles) so that they are more easily accessible.

Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. We check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.

We had such high hopes when Rep. King announced his plans to hold Congressional hearings about the problem of radicalized American Muslims. Not that we’d been paying real close attention (at least around here). However, the headlines and surface editorials sure echoed the new, Republican version of hopenchange when they talked about what the House’s Homeland Security chairman was planning. So how could we not think that perhaps there was going to be substantive, ringing change instead of merely the usual jingle of loose pennies?

Here’s what the newsboys were saying in December:

The incoming chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security said Sunday that he will hold hearings on the “radicalization of the American Muslim community.”

In an op-ed piece in Newsday, Rep. Peter King said such hearings are critical because al-Qaida “is recruiting Muslims living legally in the United States -- homegrown terrorists who have managed to stay under the anti-terror radar screen.”

The Long Island Republican said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press that the Muslim community “does not cooperate with law enforcement to anywhere near the extent that they should.”

“With al-Qaida trying to recruit from within their community it’s important that they cooperate,” King said.

A spokesman for the Washington, D.C.-based Council on American-Islamic Relations said he fears King’s hearings will become an anti-Muslim witch hunt.

“We’re concerned that it’ll become a new McCarthy-type hearing,” said the spokesman, Ibrahim Hooper.

Some McCarthy this chairman turned out to be. As time went on he would begin to seem more like just another Manchurian Candidate wound up and set going by the Muslim Brotherhood. That's because as time went on the furor from the Left increased (as usual, the Right was lulled by headlines). Here’s a good overview from News With Views, written a week or so later as the noise-to-reason ratio increased:

MSNBC’s Ed Schultz, who called communist Van Jones a “great patriot” during the “One Nation Working Together” rally, has now decided it is his job to protect Islamic terrorists from being investigated by Rep. Peter King, the incoming chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. The ink was barely dry on a King op-ed calling for scrutiny into those networks when Schultz featured Muslim Democratic Rep Keith Ellison on his show, complaining in advance that the probe would be a “witch hunt.”

The choice of guests was no accident. Reporter Kevin Diaz of the Minneapolis Star Tribune notes that Ellison’s Minneapolis, Minnesota district “has been fertile recruitment ground for Al-Shabab insurgents in Somalia” who are under the influence of al Qaeda. So the witches apparently do exist.

The Investigative Project on Terrorism found that Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress who was just elected co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, has been financially supported by members of the Muslim Brotherhood, who favor imposition of Islamic law on society.

[…]

One of those federal officials, Philip Mudd, associate executive assistant director of the National Security Branch of the FBI, said, “In Minneapolis, we believe there has been an active and deliberate attempt to recruit individuals--all of whom are young men, some only in their late teens--to travel to Somalia to fight or train on behalf of al-Shabaab.”

The hearings resulted in a report, “Violent Islamist Extremism, the Internet, and the Home Grown Terrorist Threat.”

A report into the Minneapolis problem by the cable channel HDNet described it as “a chilling threat to national security that has sparked one of the largest anti-terror investigations since 9/11.” It quoted FBI Special Agent Timothy Gossfeld as saying, “We have a principal, potential threat to national security right here on U.S. soil, actually, even within the state of Minnesota. So our director has already acknowledged the potential for individuals trained by al-Shabaab, under the influence of al-Qaeda, potentially being used to target the United States.”

Front Page gave some background on Rep. King. It was disturbing, to say the least. This was not the record I’d have expected from a ‘conservative’:

New York Rep. Peter King is under attack for his plan to hold hearings on the Muslim community’s lack of cooperation with the government to stop the rising threat of homegrown radicalization when he becomes chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee. King’s investigation, though, is imperative, as even top Obama administration officials are warning of the frightening increase in acts of homegrown terrorism. King is being described as the real extremist for his past vocal support of the Irish Republican Army and is being accused of having an anti-Muslim bias.[…]

The true “baseless claims” are the ones made against King. He was an advocate of U.S. military intervention in the former Yugoslavia on the side of Muslims, has taken Pakistan’s side over India’s in their fight over Kashmir, and had a long relationship with the Muslim community of Long Island.[my emphasis - D] His record contradicts the accusation that he has an anti-Muslim agenda. His warnings are based in fact and they are echoed by top Obama administration officials.

What this ‘record’ compiled by Ryan Mauro shows is a man who is comfortable with terrorism. The IRA? Pakistan? But Mauro sounds hopeful about the hearings. Even with those past peccadilloes, many on the Right appeared to think Rep. King was going to expose some of the problems regarding Muslim terrorism in the U.S.

Alas, it appears that Rep. King has lost his way in the echo chamber of Washington’s sound bites and prevarications …

Today, Robert Spencer laid out the sad story, saying that King is “doomed to failure”:

This is the second part of a two-part interview by Vlad Tepes with Sergio Redegalli, the Australian artist who caused so much trouble by painting a “Say No To Burqas” mural on the exterior wall of his studio in Sydney.

As we reported a week ago, Mr. Redegalli felt himself under siege after radical Leftists threatened to firebomb his building. While he waited that night to see what happened, he talked to Vlad over skype. This is the second half of what he had to say:

“Deviationism” was a term of opprobrium employed by both the Stalinist and Maoist flavors of Communism. To be accused of “Deviationism” — or even worse, “Right-Deviationism” — was a passing-bell for the career of a Communist apparatchik. The tiniest variation from Party dogma could bring down the dreaded charge on anyone perceived as a possible threat to those at the top who wielded absolute power.

The Communists have hardly been the only ones to cry “Deviationism!” or one of its modern variants. The Left in general likes to pronounce frequent anathema on those who deviate from the straight path, and the Right is not immune to the same sort of behavior. Being out of power and ineffectual never inhibits the spirit of infighting — someone is always being accused of “hijacking” the cause for nefarious purposes.

Needless to say, the same tendency can be observed among different groups that oppose Islamization and sharia. The British organization “One Law for All” can hardly be tagged as “right-wing”, but it is opposed to sharia, and we would expect it to be on the same side as the conservative wing of the Counterjihad.

However, the group does not seem to reciprocate this feeling, and has made a point of disassociating itself in no uncertain terms from the “racists” of the English Defence League. Aeneas at the International Civil Liberties Alliance has a report on the latest from One Law for All:

Will One Law For All Save The World From Sharia By Creating A Socialist Utopia?

Will the ‘Enemies not Allies’ seminar, due to take place in London on 26 January 2011, organised by a group called ‘One Law for All’ turn into an ideologically driven demonization session against the English Defence League and other components of the Global Counterjihad? The following quote from the ‘One Law for All’ website perhaps suggests that this will be the case:

The One Law for All campaign is holding a seminar to expose how important debates including on Sharia law have been hijacked by the far-Right to promote their racist agenda, and by anti-racist and anti-war groups to defend Islamism, both at the expense of people’s rights and lives. The seminar will focus on: The British National Party, the English Defence League, Stop Islamisation of Europe (also Stop Islamization of America), the Stop the War Coalition, the Respect Party, and Unite Against Fascism.

To imply that the EDL are ‘far Right’ is ridiculous; it has a very diverse group of people in its ranks, including members of ethnic minorities and the gay community — hardly the hallmarks of a traditional ‘far right’ organisation. It seems that left wing groups will always try to demonise anyone who does not share their own particular political viewpoints — ‘far right’ is just a label of demonization when it is casually applied in this way.

“The world is a dangerous place to live in; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it.” — Albert Einstein, refugee from Nazi Germany

People have been asking what is the EDL all about, what does it want to achieve, how will it achieve those things?

Well now the English Defence League has a Mission Statement......

1. Human Rights: Protecting And Promoting Human Rights

The English Defence League (EDL) is a human rights organisation that was founded in the wake of the shocking actions of a small group of Muslim extremists who, at a homecoming parade in Luton, openly mocked the sacrifices of our service personnel without any fear of censure. Although these actions were certainly those of a minority, we believe that they reflect other forms of religiously-inspired intolerance and barbarity that are thriving amongst certain sections of the Muslim population in Britain: including, but not limited to, the denigration and oppression of women, the molestation of young children, the committing of so-called honour killings, homophobia, anti-Semitism, and continued support for those responsible for terrorist atrocities.

Whilst we must always protect against the unjust assumption that all Muslims are complicit in or somehow responsible for these crimes, we must not be afraid to speak freely about these issues. This is why the EDL will continue to work to protect the inalienable rights of all people to protest against radical Islam’s encroachment into the lives of non-Muslims.

We also recognise that Muslims themselves are frequently the main victims of some Islamic traditions and practices. The Government should protect the individual human rights of British Muslims. It should ensure that they can openly criticise Islamic orthodoxy, challenge Islamic leaders without fear of retribution, receive full equality before the law (including equal rights for Muslim women), and leave Islam if they see fit, without fear of censure.

British Muslims should be able to safely demand reform of their religion, in order to make it more relevant to the needs of the modern world and more respectful of other groups in society. It is important that they completely reject the views of those who believe that Islam should be taken in its ‘original’, 7th century form, because these interpretations are the antithesis of Western democracy. The onus should be on British Muslims to overcome the problems that blight their religion and achieve nothing short of an Islamic reformation. In line with this, we should do all that we can to empower those who are willing to take this path. We must also ensure that they do not fear reprisals from those who, in line with these 7th century interpretations, would force sharia law upon them.

The EDL calls upon the Government to repeal legislation that prevents effective freedom of speech, for freedom of speech is essential if the human rights abuses that sometimes manifest themselves around Islam are to be stopped.

We believe that the proponents of radical Islam have a stranglehold on British Muslims. These radicals dominate Muslim organisations, remain key figures in British mosques, and are steadily increasing their influence. Radical Islam keeps British Muslims fearful and isolated, especially the women that it encases in the Burqa. It misrepresents their views, stifles freedom of expression, and indoctrinates their children, whilst continually doing a disservice to those who do wish to peacefully co-exist with their fellow Britons.

2. Democracy and the Rule of Law: Promoting Democracy And The Rule Of Law By Opposing Sharia

Speaking of terror attacks, it appears that one has just occurred at Moscow’s largest and busiest airport. According to the latest reports, a suicide bomber blew himself up in the baggage claim area, killing at least 35 people. The head of the suspected bomber has been recovered, and based on his appearance, he was (surprise!) an Arab.

The Moscow police are investigating the explosion at Domodedovo International Airport. Investigators found the head of an Arab male on the site of the accident. It is not ruled out that it was him, who detonated the bomb.

Since the explosion took place in the arrival hall of the international airport, the list of victims includes people of other nationalities. It has been reported that one of the foreigners, who has been injured in the attack, is a Slovak actress, Zuzana Fialova.

The power of the explosion was equivalent to seven kilos of TNT, investigators said. Experts believe that the Domodedovo explosion may become one of the largest transport terrorist acts in the world. The bomb was filled with damaging agents.

Most likely, the suicide terrorist was standing in the crowd of people in the arrival area of the airport. Investigators have classified the case as ‘terrorist act,’ Vladimir Markin, an official with the Investigation Committee of the Russian Federation said.

SAS corporal Ben Roberts-Smith has tattooed across his chest the simple message: “I will not fail my brothers.”

Early on June 11 last year, in the rugged north of Afghanistan’s Kandahar Province, the special forces soldier lived up to his own promise.

In an early morning raid on a Taliban stronghold, Corporal Roberts-Smith and two other special forces soldiers were lying in a horribly exposed position just 20m in front of an insurgent machine-gun post.

From the sparse cover of a small pile of rubble, Corporal Roberts-Smith saw gunfire tearing up the ground around his friends and realised they’d soon be killed. He leapt to his feet and charged the machine-gun, killing the gunners at point-black range.

Yesterday, he was awarded the highest award for valour, the Victoria Cross of Australia.

The medal was presented in front of Corporal Roberts-Smith’s family and previous VC winners Mark Donaldson and Keith Payne.

[…]

Yesterday, Corporal Roberts-Smith, the second member of Australia Special Air Service regiment to win the VC in Afghanistan, spoke of the fear felt by Australian soldiers in Afghanistan and said they all showed great courage under fire.

“I saw a lot of brave men do a lot of brave things that day,” the 32-year-old SAS soldier said yesterday after being honoured for his extreme gallantry.

[…]

The SAS soldiers were pinned down in a battle with the Taliban in Afghanistan’s Shah Wali Kot region when Corporal Roberts-Smith made his life-saving dash through a storm of gunfire.

As we reported last week, Clare Lopez, a senior fellow at the Center for Security Policy, was scheduled to speak at the showing of the documentary Iranium in Ottawa. Then the Iranian government flexed its muscles, there was a “threat of violence,” and the showing of the film was canceled.

However, while Ms. Lopez was in Canada, she got together with David Harris to make this series of videos about sharia and the Muslim Brotherhood. Mr. Harris is the Director of the International and Terrorist Intelligence Program at INSIGNIS.

This is an excellent discussion of what sharia means, and gives a concise history of how it came to North America along with the Muslim Brotherhood. Many thanks to Vlad Tepes for videotaping and YouTubing this talk.

The recording is broken up into four videos, which is more than I can reasonably place above the jump, so all four parts are below it:

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Eulex — the European Union’s law enforcement and legal assistance mission to Kosovo — has been invited to leave the north of the “country” because conditions are deemed unsafe.

In other news, the Chinese bank ICBC has acquired a subsidiary with branches in the USA. If regulators approve the deal, it will be the first Chinese financial institution to acquire retail branches in the United States.

Thanks to C. Cantoni, DF, Insubria, JD, and all the other tipsters who sent these in.

Commenters are advised to leave their comments at this post (rather than with the news articles) so that they are more easily accessible.

Caveat: Articles in the news feed are posted “as is”. Gates of Vienna cannot vouch for the authenticity or accuracy of the contents of any individual item posted here. We check each entry to make sure it is relatively interesting, not patently offensive, and at least superficially plausible. The link to the original is included with each item’s title. Further research and verification are left to the reader.

Earlier today we posted a video of an Englishman being threatened with death on a public street for filming Muslims engaging in dawah.

That incident took place in Leicester, and the local division of the EDL responded by summoning a flash demonstration at the dawah location. Notice the police taking photos and videotaping — one assumes they are much more interested in gathering intelligence on “racist hooligans” than they are on finding and prosecuting the thug who issued the death threat.

This is an inspiring video. WARNING: some foul language can be heard on the audio:

A Jewish reader in Canada recently exchanged emails with me about his suggestion that the State of Israel cite the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a justification for its right to exist as a Jewish nation. Since I lack sufficient knowledge on the topic, I asked Carl in Jerusalem, who blogs at Israel Matzav, to comment on the issue.

The first email from our reader in Canada:

In my opinion, Israel has never had the best possible narrative to justify its existence in the world.

When people think about Israel, they think of Jews who supposedly went into exile, and returned in modern times under the aegis of the Zionist organization. Somehow people get the impression that after two thousand years in exile, the Jews became transformed into a European people, who then took the land from the new indigenous people, the Palestinians.

In fact, the Jews have a record of continuity in the Land of Israel for more than two millennia. And the history of the Jews for the last two thousand years in the Land of Israel can be described as one of continuous exile, where individuals had to leave the land because they could just not attain a minimum quality of life. However, at the same time other Jews were often returning to their homeland.

It is somewhat ironic that Muslims often say Palestine is a Muslim country because the number of Muslims outnumbered the number of Jews. However, it is not often noted, that this was because Muslim rulers were producing the conditions that made it impossible for Jews to continue living in their homeland.

Israeli officials seem to find legality for Israel in the Balfour Declaration, League of Nations decisions, and the UN partition resolution of November 29, 1947. In my opinion, they don’t seem to recognize that the world to a certain extent finds these decisions not completely valid, and regards the Palestinians as indigenous peoples who should have more rights than the supposed colonial Jewish invaders.

I think this situation might be rectified if Israeli officials would de-emphasize the traditional Zionist stories, and begin to find justification for Israel as a Jewish state in the fact that even after the original Jewish state was destroyed in 70 CE, the Jews never abandoned or surrendered their homeland, and so it has remained a Jewish possession ever since.

The UN General Assembly on September 13, 2007 passed the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. This gives indigenous peoples of a land 46 rights. If one assumes a history of continuity of the Jewish people as I have described it, then according to the UN’s own rules it is the Jews, as the indigenous people of the Land of Israel, are entitled to all 46 of those rights.

I think if all this was recognized in the world, it could be very helpful for the State of Israel.

The problem that the Israeli government (as well as seemingly anyone else in Israel) is not in the least bit interested in the history of Jews over the last two thousand years in the Land of Israel. Nor does anybody there seem at all aware of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples , and how this might be beneficial for Israel. At least that is my opinion.

I wonder if you might think of looking into this matter, and if you find what I say reasonable, would you consider trying to use your abilities to try to change the Zionist narrative, from one of exile and return, which is out of favour in the world, to that of a people who suffered two thousand years of occupation in its own land.

It should be noted that however good may be your cause, if you don’t plead it properly, then to a certain extent you can’t totally blame the rest of the world.

The Englishman who made this video was threatened with death for filming Muslims engaging in dawah on a public street.

Many thanks to Vlad Tepes for YouTubing this video. KGS helped Vlad construct a composite of the face of the fellow who made the threat. This image may be of use to the British police — if, that is, they ever take time off from arresting “Islamophobes” and actually look for the guy:

Kitman has distilled nine points from a television presentation given by Thilo Sarrazin, the well-known Islam-critic in Germany:

Thilo Sarrazin: Nine Conclusions Regarding Muslim Immigration

1.

No immigration policy, in whatever shape or form, is able to solve the key problem of our demographic development.

2.

Whoever believes that problems of integration can be solved through more education alone will compel us live a lie.

3.

All immigrants are not alike. So far immigrants from Eastern Europe, India, China, and Vietnam pose no integrational problems at all in their second generation.

4.

All the important economic and cultural problems of integration in Europe are concentrated around immigrants from Muslim countries. The successful integration of Muslim immigrants already living among us has to be given absolute priority over further immigration from Muslim countries.

5.

Muslim immigrants have a troubling tendency to form parallel societies and are almost entirely unable to intermarry with their new countrymen.

6.

It is the Islamic culture which is responsible for these problems, not the ethnic background. This culture is only marginally compatible with secular Western society.

7.

The problems in economic and cultural integration of immigrants from Islamic countries mean that they have an unquestionably negative impact on the host society.

8.

The European welfare-state model is not free of blame. Even without any employment, basic social security benefits far exceed the income Muslim immigrants could obtain in their home country.

9.

Immigrants who reject our culture, have no education, and are mostly attracted by the social benefits, and the prospect of bringing in large numbers of family relatives will cost our society dearly.

The subtitled video and an accompanying transcribed text are below the jump: